We continue our selection of materials on the topic of dreams. In this publication you will find three articles at once:
- Sleep is the key to your health - how to sleep effectively
- The less we sleep, the fatter we get - scientific fact
- Effective sleep system - for those who are interested, a rather voluminous publication by Elena Nabatova
Sleep is the key to your health
Do you get tired easily and often feel unwell? This is because you don't go to bed at 8 pm and don't wake up at 4 am. This is what experts who are passionate about the young science of valeology say.
Healthy sleep - until midnight.
According to valeologists, all people are larks by nature. Everyone, without exception, needs to wake up between 3 and 5 am. At this time, all organs in the body awaken, the blood is renewed. When the kidney is brought to a vertical position, sand and stones do not form, the spine straightens. But you need to go to the side from 20 to 22 hours.
In order for the body to gain strength, in general you need to sleep for at least 20-24 recovery hours. Only from 10 to 12 o'clock at night the nervous system rests in sleep. Chronic fatigue syndrome awaits those who like to stay up past midnight.
Valeologists say that from 19 to 20 pm one hour of sleep is equal to 7 recovery hours; from 20 to 21 – 6 o’clock,
- From 21 to 22 - 5 o'clock,
- From 22 to 23 - 4 o'clock,
- From 23 to 0.00 – 3 o’clock
- From 0.00 to 1.00 – 2 hours
- From 1 to 2 o'clock - 1 o'clock
- From 2.00 to 3 – 30 minutes and at other times – only 15 minutes.
The less we sleep, the fatter we get
Zhanna Milano
Because we steal hours from the night by sitting in front of the TV or surfing the Internet, we sleep less. It's rare to hear anyone complain that they've slept too long; they usually talk about lack of sleep. We are a sleepy society, and the desire to sleep is becoming an emergency that experts say is reaching the proportions of a hidden epidemic. But sleep is an absolute necessity, and the consequences of insufficient sleep affect health in a variety of ways, manifesting itself in the form of diseases including cancer, cardiovascular pathologies, diabetes and hypertension. And also excess weight, as follows from the results of recent studies.
Unfortunately, doctors, like the public, despite the enormous amount of accumulated knowledge about the effects of sleep on the body's systems, know very little about how important it is to maintain a sleep-wake ratio. 
The most recent reports come from the United States, with data collected from 39,000 study participants aged 32-49 years.
What did scientists find out? “Anyone who slept less than seven hours a night at the initial stage of the study, after 20 years(study started in 1982) was much more likely to be overweight or, worse, obesity," says Giovanni Chizza, an endocrinologist at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, one of the authors of a paper published in the journal Sleep that reports on the study. "This is confirmation of what has already been said. From 1992 to today, a series of studies point to a strong link between short sleep and a number of health problems,” Emmanuel Mignot, director of the Stanford University Sleep Center, told the Washington Post.
In this regard, obesity is a worldwide problem, and many contributing factors have been identified: excess calorie intake, diet too rich in fats and refined foods. "Unfortunately, the evolutionary changes in our genome lag behind the many changes in our lifestyle," Mignot comments in an editorial in the journal Sleep.
It turned out that the duration of sleep compared to the 19th century was reduced by 20% - by an hour and a half per night. “Over the decades, technological innovation has thrown our body out of its natural rhythm, disrupting the magical 24-hour biological clock. It is like the conductor of an orchestra, coordinating the complex symphony of chemical, hormonal and neural activity in our cells,” explains William S.
According to the calculations of the founder of the Stanford University Sleep Research Center, Dement, each of us needs an average of eight hours of sleep. This need varies from person to person. “Each individual has his own needs. The brain tries to achieve this goal: the more we move away from the norm we need, the more actively the brain will try to put us to sleep,” he explains. Balance must be restored.
The fact that lack of sleep can be the cause of excessive weight was discussed these days at the annual meeting of the North American Obesity Association in Vancouver, Canada. From an evolutionary point of view, sleep is as necessary for the survival of the species as food or sex. Numerous studies have shown that sleep is good for health, has a positive effect on the immune system and is the elixir of longevity.
Those who sleep little harm their health and shorten their lives. “We now know that lack of sleep increases the release of the stress hormone cortisol. In those who sleep little, the balance between two hormones is disturbed: leptin, produced by adipose tissue, and ghrelin, which stimulates appetite,” writes Mignot. Leptin, which signals the brain to satisfy hunger, was 20% less than necessary in those who sleep little, so the signal was weaker, and ghrelin was 20% more, so the feeling of hunger increased. Ultimately, the coincidence of these two signals leads to excessive food consumption.
"From an evolutionary point of view, this mechanism makes sense. In a situation of danger, a human hunter must stay awake, he needs energy reserves, this response of the body was an incentive to obtain food, but today? The modern equivalent of a state of anxiety pushes only to take a few steps that lead us from bed to the refrigerator to open it and satisfy your hunger,” comments Chizza.
Findings about the link between sleep deprivation and obesity need to be confirmed by more research. "At the National Institutes of Health, we've started a new experiment where we take obese patients who sleep less than six hours a night and make them sleep 90 minutes more, and do so for a year. At the end, we'll see if they lose weight thanks to sleep and whether the balance between the two hormones, leptin and ghrelin, will be restored,” concludes Chizza.
Effective sleep system
Elena Nabatova
- Why are we sleeping?
- System
- Yoga practice exercises
- Finally
Effective sleep system
- How can you reduce sleep time and increase the period of active wakefulness in emergency situations?
- Where can I find a few extra hours for productive work?
- What to do when you don’t have time to do anything, you constantly don’t have enough time to complete some things?
- How to sleep less, but not feel tired and lose energy?
- Will reducing the dose of sleep affect your health?
These and similar questions arose repeatedly at seminars and consultations on time management in the context of discussing the topic “Resources”. The same topic was quite often and actively discussed on the forums of the website www.improvement.ru.
Experience
So, is it still possible to sleep, for example, 4 hours a day and feel no worse, or even better, than after 8 hours of sleep? Experience confirms that you can feel full of strength and energy, look cheerful, feel fresh and happy, “spring out” with new ideas, even completely excluding sleep, in the usual sense of the word. Just by adhering to some simple rules.
Now I sleep from 4.30 to 7 hours a day. On weekends 7 o'clock, on weekdays 4.30. I can notice that the need for seven hours of sleep is gradually disappearing, since I sleep only because I supposedly need to sleep off - this is a stereotype. In fact, these days I feel not better, but worse than on weekdays. There were weeks when I didn’t sleep at all (I felt sorry for wasting time on sleep, I wanted to get everything done). And then 30 minutes of complete relaxation (discussed below) replaced me with 6 hours of sleep. Efficiency did not decrease, but jumped up sharply. The feeling of satisfaction and confidence did not leave.
And here are the statements of my brave followers from among the active participants in TM seminars:
“I began to sleep less and get more done than I originally wanted.”
“The time for sleep has been reduced, but there is no feeling of “lack of sleep,” rather the opposite – activation of consciousness and physical tone.”
“The most interesting thing is that with 3 hours of sleep, I am able to exercise for 2 hours a day and not feel tired.”
“I sleep little, do a lot, and that’s what satisfies me and brings excellent results at all levels - I managed to achieve a lot that I had never even dreamed of before.”
“I decided to enter into the experiment out of despair: I’m overwhelmed at work, sheer stress, global fatigue, my health and appearance are tormented to the limit. By practicing TM methods and the effective sleep system, I coped not only with my own problems, but also solved many of the problems of my native company, plus there was no depression, fatigue, sickness or pallor left in my appearance. Moreover, quite unexpectedly, in two or three months I acquired a figure that I had never even dreamed of.”
Perhaps there are other methods, unfortunately, they are not known to me yet, and if someone offers their own or another method, we can only welcome it. I myself am ready to be the first to start testing it.
Why are we sleeping?
To begin with, it would be nice to find out why we sleep? It’s right for our body and our brain to rest. And so that in the morning of the next day we can again begin to exploit them to the maximum.
What does the body need for proper rest? Exactly! He needs to relax. It's the same with the brain.
This means that effective rest means maximum relaxation of soul and body.
When we fall asleep, we supposedly turn off our body and brain, expecting rest.
But is this really so? Has it ever happened to us that we wake up after a long sleep completely broken, with aching joints and bones, with a headache that makes it difficult to concentrate on some task or thought.
Why is this happening? That’s right, because neither our body, nor even our brain rested, it was only the illusion of rest. During sleep, our brain switches from one form of its activity to another: we see dreams, which are most often associated with our reality. Those. all the problems of the day smoothly flow into another form and continue to pester our brain, like an enemy penetrating our rear or outflanking us.
We've sorted out the brain a little, but what about the body? Let's consider this aspect: when we curl up in balls or sleep with clenched fists, grind our teeth, finally see dynamic dreams and sometimes reproduce some movements, our body is in tension, perhaps less than in a normal waking state, but Still, it’s difficult to call him maximally relaxed.
Now let’s put these conclusions together and what do we get?
Here's what. In order to achieve complete relaxation of the body and brain, soul or anything else (optional), it is not at all necessary to sleep. We sleep by inertia. I can already hear the whistling of stones flying over my head and loud shouts: “Nonsense, this is impossible, nonsense.” This opinion is quite widespread, which indicates mass inertia of thinking, and this narrative is not intended to conduct a lengthy debate, so we will dwell in more detail on another thesis.
Is it still possible to sleep, but in such a way that this process, with a small amount of time spent on it, actually turns into complete rest? It is possible and even to prepare as much as possible for the further continuation of active and fruitful life by staying in sleep not as long as is customary (here I mean the generally accepted 8-hour or longer sleep), but as long as we need, arbitrarily shortening it from 6 to 2 o'clock.
And now, a few words about how you can achieve such a life?
Relax and enjoy the process of very specific actions, including physical ones.
This is difficult to achieve, but it is possible.
System
Firstly, after 5 o’clock in the morning, sleep is restless and incomplete, absolutely useless and even harmful. The most effective time for sleep is from 22 to 24 hours. It is these hours that a person concerned about his health and longevity should use for relaxation. Going to bed in the evening no later than 10 o'clock, people noted that they woke up at 2 or 3 o'clock and could not fall asleep. I advised them not to force themselves and not to force their body to sleep if it doesn’t want to. This state is called: “already slept enough.” We get up and do some useful things, reading, creativity, searching for information, work tasks are going very well, not to mention meditation. Such a dream provides wonderful rest and the opportunity to live and work energetically and fully all day until... 10 p.m. Then again “bainki”. If for some reason you cannot go to bed at the indicated time, see the following rules.
Secondly, it is imperative to spend at least 15 minutes in the “Corpse Pose” (Sawa sana). This complete relaxation makes it possible to restore strength and increase efficiency. The need for sleep is reduced, since this pose replaces 3 hours of night rest!
Thirdly, take into account the following rather banal, but in our case important factors:
- don't sleep with the lights on;
- the room where you are going to sleep should not resemble a crypt; it is better to fill it with fresh air;
- plants emit carbon dioxide, so it would be good to move them to other rooms that do not serve as bedrooms;
- if there is a need for night clothes, then let them be comfortable, light, made of natural fabrics;
- the back should be straight, so soft mattresses and high pillows, alas, are out.
Fourth, follow a certain and very pleasant order of awakening. It consists of “sipping with passion.” First, place your legs side by side. Then we stretch one leg as far as possible, then the other. Can be repeated 2-3 times. Takes 3 minutes and benefits for the whole day. Strengthens the nervous system, stretches the spine, and has a rejuvenating effect on the entire body.
Fifthly, you should adhere to some already hackneyed “carrot” principles in nutrition.
- The most important thing, I cannot say enough, is to eat only when you are really hungry. Especially in the evening before going to bed, do not “pack” your stomach to capacity with bakery and sandwich varieties.
- Drink 1-2 glasses of water in the morning on an empty stomach.
- Include 2 walnuts and 5 fresh apples in your daily diet.
- Eat with concentration, with pleasure, without being distracted by extraneous thoughts and actions.
- Try to avoid fatty foods.
Do not consume one type of starch during one meal: rice with bread or potatoes. It is also not advisable to mix starch with protein (eggs, meat).
Eat more vegetables and fruits. It is advisable to eat fruits before meals and preferably an hour before (they promote digestion and active absorption of nutrients), and not after (they encourage the processes of food rotting, which leads to negative consequences).
It is better to drink not immediately after eating, but after the same hour or hour and a half. Drinks should not be too hot or too cold.
Sixth, small yoga practice exercises
1. ASANA (for sleep).
Performed on the floor for 15 minutes.
1. We sit on the floor with our legs stretched out in front of us, our arms behind our backs, our palms resting on the floor, our fingers pointing towards the body and not away from it. The back is straight.
2. Raise the left leg slightly, bend the right one and lower the left one hanging in the air onto it.
It turns out that half of the pose is Turkish (right leg), and half is extended at a right angle to the body (left leg). Now we tilt our body forward and reach our toes with our hands.
In this case, one hand overlaps the other, and the head is raised so that the gaze rests on the toes. We remain in this position until we count to 12 with a measured count. You can start counting from eight, gradually increasing the period of stay in the pose.
Then we slowly lower our head and try to bring it as close to our knees as possible. Again, we count to 12. Well, okay, to 8.
Repeat a similar exercise with the right leg, bending the left one.
2. Now sit down straight again, legs extended at right angles to the body. And again we went into a tilt. The back is straight, the spine is elongated, we contemplate the toes, after the count has already been entered, we lower our head and return to our knees. We sat like this for several minutes, counting to 12 or 8 (we try not to cry from overexertion and do not strain ourselves to the point of losing consciousness), and slowly return to the starting position.
3. Hands behind the body, palms this time away from the body. We gradually lean back, stretching our whole body, arms extended, straight. We tilt our heads back so that we can see the wall behind us and freeze in this position until we count to 12 (8) or read or sing our favorite line.
“Some kind of fanaticism,” those who tried their luck will say after the first time, and it is very difficult to refute such a statement, which I am not going to do, but after a few days this opinion will radically change, thanks to the amazing results. It is important to do them regularly, not paying attention to all the difficulties of the First Stage.
And, most importantly, enjoy the process! Feel your body and it will respond positively. Listen to yourself while performing the exercises, focus on them and on the reaction of your body.
4. Returning to the starting position, we raise both legs (difficult, but necessary), holding them in weight with our hands, slightly leaning our body back. We keep it at the same count of 12 (or using another unit of time).
5. Remaining in the starting position, we slowly twist, i.e. placing the outstretched left hand behind the right knee (the hand is at ankle level), which is bent, we try, despite all existing stereotypes about our body, to turn so as to see the left corner of the room. We repeat everything to the right.
6. And finally, we raise our legs up, first straight, then slightly tilt them to the side behind our heads, then lower them so much that our toes touch the floor (to begin with, you can substitute a low stool, cabinet, or other object). And now we perform a deadly number: we stretch our arms behind our heads, lower them (behind our heads) and our legs so that they are knees near our ears, no more, no less.
And at the same time, don’t forget about the score. It is the same everywhere - at first there are 12 (8 is possible).
In the future, the duration can be increased to 16, 20, 24, etc.
7. From the previous position we slowly move to the lying position. We spread our arms to the sides. Beauty! The buzz is rare. LET'S RELAX.
2. CORPSE POSE (SAVA SANA)
We remain (preferably on the floor and without any pillows) in the same pleasant position with legs and arms outstretched. Let's make sure that there are no drafts or objects in the room that could disturb us in the next 15 minutes.
We concentrate all our attention on our body. We reject with indignation the thoughts that stubbornly strive to seep into our consciousness. And yet we relax. You can start with any part of the body or organ. This will work out over time. The optimal option will be determined by itself after daily practice. But, relatively speaking, let's start with the head. Let's focus on it. First at the highest point of the head. We say to ourselves: “My head relaxes, freeing itself from tension and thoughts.” At the same time, we feel how the process has begun. We do the same with the forehead, eyebrows, eyes, and other parts of the face. After the neck, we finish with the internal speech module: “My head is absolutely relaxed, free from tension and thoughts.” Fine. You can already feel your body filling with pleasant heaviness. But we continue, deepening the relaxation. Shoulders, chest, arms (to the fingers and in turn: left, right), heart, liver...(internal organs), back, hips, calves, ankles, feet (also in turn: left, right). We do not forget any organ or part of the body, always ending with the phrase “My, my, my...absolutely (completely relaxed), there is no tension.” Having reached your toes, listen again to your body, feel that you are nothing you don’t feel it. Repeat everything in the reverse order: towards the head. When finished, enjoy an extraordinary state of lightness and pleasant bliss.
We come out of the pose gradually. Let's move our toes and hands, close our lips, and take a few breaths. Now you can slowly rise up. No sudden movements!
We don’t get up right away, we’ll squat for a few minutes with our heads buried in our knees and our feet pressed to the floor. Also a very useful exercise. In addition, it helps to get out of a state of complete relaxation.
3. PRANAYAMA (conscious control of breathing)
Breathing exercises – 5.10 minutes. We sit on our knees (pelvis pressed to our feet) or in a Turkish position (you can also sit on a chair, knees at right angles) and your back must be straight. We breathe with our bellies. Inhale on a count of 1, sticking out your stomach. Exhale on a count of 2, glue the intestines to the spine - draw in the stomach as much as possible. We repeat this 3, 6 or 9 times.
4. PRATYAHARA
Set yourself up for sleep or meditation – 5 minutes. Just breathe (preferably with your stomach), focusing on your breathing. We inhale positive energy, exhale all negativity, stress, illness, fatigue. It’s important to feel it, you can say it “to yourself.”
5. POSITURATION
Control of sleep posture (adopting the optimal posture for healthy sleep). We lie down on our backs. It is advisable that the head is not too high. We disperse positive energy throughout the body. It was pleasantly warm. We don’t stress and don’t think about anything, we try anyway. Let's fall asleep.
It’s not easy to fall asleep without thinking about the day’s problems; you don’t have to strain yourself and resist their powerful onslaught with terrible force. Blocking them regularly will eventually do the trick.
6. ASANA (towards the day)
Upper set of exercises – 15 minutes.
You need to stand up straight, it’s better to face east, it’s difficult, it sways after sleep, but still.
Raise your hands up, lean back a little, count to the count we accepted in the evening. Then lean a little to the side. First left, then right.
Raise your left leg, pull it with your hand so that it rests on the inner thigh of your right leg, as high as possible. Hands at chest level, palms pressed to each other, elbows to the sides. We stood there as long as we could. They lowered their leg. We repeat everything on the right.
Raise your hands up and your head behind them. Stand like this until the end of the count 12 (8).
Then we slowly bend lower and lower until we rest our palms on the floor and at the same time we do not squat, but quite the opposite, we try to keep our legs straight, even if they tremble. We'll have to be patient. If this is still not possible, then at first you can bend your knees slightly and place your hands at the possible distance from your legs. We enjoy feeling how the body becomes toned.
The next step is to crawl into a position ready for push-ups, the body is straight and elongated, as are the hands that hold it. Now we need to bend them at the elbows and hold on like this for the amount accepted by our “company”.
Then we drop to the floor. No, we don’t fall flat, but smoothly transition to a lying state.
Hands up to the elbows lie on the floor, palms down. Raise your head and upper body to the waist. Moreover, we transfer the load to the body, and not to the arms. We stayed in this position for the required period of time.
Yeah, let’s lie down and that’s enough, go up again, “into the stretching dog pose”: Legs are straight, arms too, pull the butt back. How? Up..., yes, yes, yes.
We stand straight, feet pressed to the floor, and the body is tilted straight forward. Head down. We freeze in this position. Breathe, recover
Now let's straighten up.
7. ATTENTION!
Don’t even start “under the influence”, especially when it comes to pranayama, asanas and meditation
Bath/shower: at least half an hour before or after classes
Meal: large at least 2 hours before, and modest 1 hour before.
Finally
Physical exercise is only the first step on the path to your own harmonization. But even this is already enough to feel certain changes. And the results will not keep you waiting long. Elimination of stress and situations leading to it, self-organization, harmony with the world and oneself, self-elimination of most problems, the emergence of joy and meaningfulness of life, achievement of desired goals (no matter how unthinkable they may be), physical and psychological recovery - and this is not a complete list of those useful that a practitioner of this system will receive.
I will be happy to answer any questions or feedback you may have. I sincerely wish everyone success and satisfaction from the processes and achievements!
Nabatova Elena,
Director of the Consulting and Analytical Center "BaytInform".
Good sleep is vital for a person’s well-being and overall health, but despite ongoing research in this area, many aspects of it still raise questions not only among people who are far from science, but also among scientists. Why is it that for some, for example, it is enough to sleep the same minimum recommended seven hours, while others do not get enough sleep in 10? Is going to bed earlier healthier than waking up later with the same number of hours of sleep? Several myths were debunked by Neil Stanley, an expert from the British Sleep Society.
Eight hours of sleep is enough
Not for everyone, as practice shows. Each person has different sleep needs, and it is normal to sleep between five and nine hours a night. The specific amount of sleep is determined genetically. You shouldn’t focus on numbers; it’s better to empirically determine how much sleep you need. It's not difficult: find out how many hours of sleep you feel awake or sleepy after, and move towards more energy.
There is no such thing as too much sleep
It's a shame, but it's a myth. You shouldn’t greatly exceed your norm either - it’s just as harmful as.
You can get used to sleeping little
Unfortunately, it is impossible to deviate from your genetically determined norm. You can get used to constant lack of sleep and learn to function tolerably under these conditions, but if the body does not get enough time to recover, this negatively affects its condition. Even partial lack of sleep increases the risk of developing diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
Sleeping in different beds is bad for relationships
Some people sleep better when they feel warm and secure with their partner, but in reality, about half the time it is their partner who sleeps better. Therefore, if you sleep better separately, do so, it will not harm the relationship, but will even rather improve it, since after getting enough sleep, you will be happier, less tired and will not be offended by your partner for taking away the blanket at night.
An hour before midnight is two hours after
This makes some sense, since a person recovers most intensively in deep sleep - and this phase most often occurs at the beginning of the entire sleep period. Usually, around midnight and before, no one bothers you, but in the morning they begin, neighbors and family members make noise. waking up is much easier, so the question here is not about the time of sleep, but about its quality. If your house is quiet in the morning and no one disturbs you, your morning sleep will be no worse than your night’s sleep.
Children will go to bed on their own when they are tired.
This is equivalent to “children will stop eating ice cream themselves when they are full.” Of course, there are such children, but this is rather an exception. Most still require rituals, routine actions that are performed before bed in order to tune in to it. However, this is also typical for adults.
Currently, there is a table floating around the Internet that lists the value of sleep hourly. Many users were left scratching their heads wondering if this was really true. After all, according to the table, sleeping for an hour from 19.00 to 20.00 is equivalent to a seven-hour rest. It turns out that after this you can stay awake for almost a day (and then again – for one hour). To understand this issue, you need to study the table of sleep hours and its value in detail.
What is a sleep value chart?
The sleep value table by hour is as follows:
Sleep efficiency table
It is unclear what the compiler was guided by when determining the time intervals. There is no scientific evidence for the above. He claims that the value of sleep, starting from the period 19-20, decreases with each subsequent hour by exactly one. And starting from 2.00 to 6.00, the count goes on in minutes (there is no pattern). Further, according to the author, there is no point in sleeping.
A few words about the author
As it turned out, the author is Sergei Budilov, presented on the Internet as a traditional healer. According to him, he studied many different health practices and directions and created his own method, called “Alfea”. The value of sleep per 1 hour (table) is part of the job.
On some resources he is positioned as a scientist. The first title is member of the professional association of visceral therapists. In fact, such an organization is called the “Association of Visceral Chiropractic,” which has nothing to do with official medicine. There is no information about Budilov’s medical education.
The second title of the compiler of the masterpiece called “hours of sleep and its value” is a member of the international academy of ecology. This organization actually exists, but its “internationality” is limited to Kazakhstan and has nothing to do with Western countries.
How much sleep do you need?
Scientists believe: the minimum amount of night rest should be five cycles. Each cycle consists of a fast and a slow phase and lasts about 1.5 hours. That is, a person needs to sleep at least 7.5 hours. Based on the data presented in the table, it turns out that it is enough to sleep from 19.00 to 20.00 or until 21.00, and then not go to bed again until the next evening. It is obvious to even a first grader that only an hour or two will actually pass.
5 repeating sleep cycles add up to about 7 hours
Such mathematical miscalculations threaten serious health problems. It is well known that lack of sleep gradually leads to depletion of energy reserves, nervous breakdowns, and mental illness. The same thing happens with excess - the risk of disruption of the cardiovascular system, obesity, metabolic processes, and the functioning of the endocrine glands increases.
Do not forget that each person has his own biorhythms. It is known that people are conventionally divided into “night owls” and “larks”. If the latter easily fall asleep at 22.00, and just as easily wake up at 5.00, then this mode is not suitable for night owls. For the “owl person,” sleep is important precisely in the morning hours, when, as the table of the value of sleep for 1 hour states, “sleep is pointless.”
Where is the truth “hidden”?
Taking a closer look and making real calculations of time, you can see that in general terms the recommendations of the sleep table compiler are not so far from the advice of scientists. If you do not take into account the incomprehensible coefficients given to each period, it turns out that the night's rest from 22.00 to 5.00 will be 7 hours. This does not contradict generally accepted norms.
Sleep is essential for maintaining human health and performance.
This is also the case with weakened people, for whom the author recommends rest from 19.00 to 5.00. In real time this will be 10 hours (according to Budilov - 28). This amount of sleep is considered beneficial especially during illness or convalescence. A person gains strength and recovers faster.
Thus, the truth of the sleep value table by the hour is only in the actual duration of rest time. The numbers corresponding to each individual interval can only be considered a claim to some kind of innovation.
Conclusion
The value of sleep is not according to the table, but in real life, first of all in itself, in its quality and presence as such. During rest, the body's energy reserves are restored, the functioning of all organ systems is normalized, and immunity is increased. A person who sleeps well has a more stable psyche, an adequate attitude to life situations, and high mental and physical performance.
A person spends a third of his life sleeping. It’s not for nothing that they say “good sleep is the key to health.” March 18, on World Sleep Day "" together with Candidate of Medical Sciences, Chairman of the Altai branch of the Russian Society of Somnologists Alexey Markin decided to dispel well-known myths about sleep.
Myth 1. Sleeping hours from 22:00 to 24:00 count as two
According to Alexey Vyacheslavovich, an hour of sleep at any time is counted as one. However, he recommends falling asleep before midnight.
A person gets enough sleep when his sleep stages are repeated four times a night. The first takes place just before midnight. It is longer lasting. At this time, most metabolic processes occur in the human body. If you had to fall asleep after midnight, it is advisable to sleep longer. By the way, the most optimal time to go to bed is 10:30 p.m.,” the doctor explained.
Every person has a genetic predisposition to sleep. It determines how many hours a day he needs to sleep in order to feel normal.
Some people need four hours, others can sleep all 12. But this is rather an exception. On average, a person should sleep 7-8 hours a day. Otherwise, the body will be susceptible to many diseases - metabolic disorders, neurosis, depression, obesity, decreased immunity and others, added Markin.
If you have insomnia, neither sheep nor horses will help you. Alexey Vyacheslavovich recommends performing a certain bedtime ritual.
First you need to normalize the situation in the bedroom: put a comfortable bed with a high-quality mattress and pillow - it is better to use orthopedic ones, remove distracting objects from the bedroom - a TV and a computer. Perform physical activity until 20:00. Before bed, you can read a book, chat with your family, drink a cup of tea, take a relaxing bath, or listen to calm music. You can't go to bed with an empty stomach. You shouldn't overeat; half an apple is enough to satisfy your hunger. There is also no need to solve problems in the evening. It’s better to leave it for the morning,” explained the somnologist.
If after 2-3 weeks of such procedures your sleep has not improved, you should consult a doctor.
Myth 3. Alcohol at night helps you sleep better.
A glass of wine or a glass of vodka before bed is considered a “folk remedy” for treating insomnia. Doctors have a negative attitude towards this method.
Subjectively, alcohol makes the transition to sleep easier. In fact, it negatively affects the quality and structure of sleep. Leads to frequent microactivations of the brain and early awakenings. As practice shows, people who abuse alcohol in the evening get up early with headaches and a bad mood,” Markin explained.
Myth 4. If you love a person, you need to get used to his snoring.
No. If you love a person, his snoring needs to be treated. Snoring is a breathing disorder. In some cases it can be fatal.
The causes of snoring lie in the anatomical features of the face. It happens that along with snoring, people suffer from apnea - pauses in breathing during sleep. This can lead to suffocation and death, the somnologist warned.
The causes of snoring must be clarified. The sooner you do this, the better. Further treatment can be very different - from nasal strips to surgical intervention.
Myth 5. You can sleep in the light
During sleep, any light will only disturb a person.
The hormone melatonin is responsible for the transition from wakefulness to sleep in humans. Its secretion increases rhythmically every evening when it begins to get dark. When the light is on, the secretion of melatonin is disrupted, and accordingly, the quality of going to sleep, and sleep itself will suffer,” explained Alexey Markin.
Myth 6. After a sleepless night, you need to get a good night's sleep.
People who frequently fly from one place to another, study at night for exams, or work around the clock, have disrupted circadian rhythms. The somnologist does not recommend sleeping for several hours in such cases.
On the contrary, you need to immediately adapt to the time zone where you will now be located. After a sleepless day, you need to adapt to a normal sleep schedule, go to bed and get up at the same time, the doctor emphasized.
Myth 7. On weekends you can sleep until lunch
A specific sleep schedule will help you avoid insomnia. A person should wake up and go to bed at approximately the same time.
This rule must also be followed on weekends. You shouldn't sleep all day. It is allowed to exceed the usual norm of sleep by 1-2 hours, the somnologist specified.
Long-term sleep is sometimes necessary for people, but only to recover from an illness. However, if a person sleeps for more than nine hours and still feels weak and sleep-deprived, he should consult a doctor. He may have hypersomnia.
Do you think you are sleeping correctly? Are you getting enough sleep? I really hope, because it is during sleep that your body grows. Therefore, before going to bed, it is necessary to perform an evening set of exercises and eat a sufficient amount of protein foods (and containing calcium), because the body cannot build bone from nothing.
These 12 tips will help you get the most out of your sleep and bring you one step closer to your ideal body.
- Before going to bed, you need to open the window and ventilate the room; do not sleep in a stuffy room, even if it seems normal to you.
- Ensure yourself a quiet sleep so that no sounds disturb your sleep. Turn off the sound on your phone.
- Before going to bed, drink a glass of milk or water. Promotes digestion.
- Throw away all negative thoughts, worries and problems. You go to bed to rest both physically and emotionally. Do not believe? If you have problems or a bad mood, try to sleep during the day for at least 15-20 minutes. In most cases, everything will go away and new strength will appear.
- Take a warm shower before bed, it relaxes your muscles and is a great preparation for bed.
- Go to bed at the same time so that your body gets used to it. Get ready for sleep in advance, turn off the TV and computer. You can read some unobtrusive book.
- The bed should be quite hard.
- It is best to sleep without a pillow, although it is difficult. Place it under your bent knees. This stimulates leg growth to a certain extent.
- Sleep on your back, upright as possible.
- You will not be able to sleep either in a room that is too hot or in a room that is too cold.
- Try to go to bed before midnight. Paul Bragg wrote that one hour of sleep before midnight is equal to two hours of sleep after midnight.
- You need to sleep at least 8 hours.